Before You Hire Designers · An A List Apart ArticleCreative Music Foundation
Music is our common language
Joe Lovano, Henry Threadgill, and Tyshawn Sorey Named Guiding Artists for CMS Spring 2014 Workshop
They Join Peter Apfelbaum, Marilyn Crispell, Warren Smith, Judi Silvano and CMS Co-Founders Karl Berger and Ingrid Sertso
June 9 – 13 Workshop Features Intensive Workshops, Jam Sessions and Intimate Concerts in a Spectacular Mountainside Setting
Deadline to Register is May 19
* * * * * *
The Creative Music Studio continues its resurgence, offering two four-day workshops in 2014 at the well-appointed Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, NY.
Master musicians/composers/educators Joe Lovano, Henry Threadgill, Tyshawn Sorey, Marilyn Crispell, Peter Apfelbaum, Warren Smith and Judi Silvano will join CMS Artistic Directors Karl Berger and Ingrid Sertso as Guiding Artists for the CMS Spring workshop intensive, June 9 – 13.
Along with Harvey Sorgen, Ken Filiano, John Menegon and Omar Tamez, they will explore CMS’s “Music Mind” practice that focuses on the common elements of all music, inspiring awareness, personal expression, intensive listening and cross-cultural communication.
Registration deadline for the CMS’s Spring Workshop is May 19, 2014.
Two highly successful four-day workshops in May, and October, 2013 at the Full Moon Resort re-ignited CMS and its nonprofit parent, the Creative Music Foundation.
Positive feedback from those workshops prompted CMS to offer two more workshops in 2014, the first during the peak of spring and the second during the height of autumn when the Catskill leaves are most colorful.
CMS Workshop Guiding Artists in 2013 included: Vijay Iyer, Dave Douglas, John Medeski, Oliver Lake, Don Byron, Peter Apfelbaum, Tony Malaby, Cyro Baptista, Marilyn Crispell, Steven Bernstein, Jason Hwang, Kirk Knuffke, Kenny Wessel, Steve Gorn, Mark Helias, Tom Rainey, Thomas Buckner, Harvey Sorgen, Tani Tabbal, Ken Filiano, Omar Tamez, and John Menegon, in addition to Creative Music Foundation co-founders Karl Berger and Ingrid Sertso.
CMS Workshops feature four days of intensive workshops, master classes, intimate concerts and informal jam sessions that inspire active listening, personal expression, improvisation and musical exploration. Musicians of any instrument, including voice, are welcome as are non-musicians.
Adults who played music earlier in their lives can benefit from this lifelong learning opportunity that offers participants a once-in-a-lifetime experience to learn from and play with music masters, and to simply spend time with them in an informal, personal setting.
The non-traditional atmosphere of the Creative Music Studio Workshop encourages participants to experiment, push beyond limits, genres and categories, to take risks, and to develop their own deeply personal musical expression.
“In the CMS tradition, the 2103 workshops offered not only profound teachings from music masters but also gave participants game-changing perspectives,” said Karl Berger. “Joe, Judi, Henry, Peter, Marilyn, Warren and Tyshawn will continue in that direction, offering their heart-felt insights into playing, composing and improvising.”
A recap of the May 2013 workshop is at:
A seven-minute video featuring highlights of the May workshop can be seen on YouTube: .
A recap of CMS’s October 2013 workshop is at: . It includes a short video featuring testimonials from workshop participants.
A typical day at the CMS 40th Anniversary Workshop is:
8:00 - 9:30
9:30 - 10:00
Body Awareness
10:15 - 11:00
Rhythm/Voice Awareness, including GaMaLa Taki rhythm practice
11:30 - 1:00
Master Class/Workshop
1:00 - 2:15
2:30 - 5:00
All Instruments Workshop
5:15 – 6:30
Improvisers Orchestra
6:30 - 7:00
Listening Meditation
7:00 - 8:15
8:30 - 10:00
Concert with Guiding Artists
Participant concerts and jams, unscheduled sessions
Late night consists of playing music, unscheduled sessions, conversations, bonfires, or simply stargazing at Full Moon’s gorgeous location in the heart of the Catskill Mountains, with the historic Esopus Creek running through the expansive property.
CMS’s parent nonprofit, the Creative Music Foundation, is working to fundraise in order to offer full and partial scholarships for the workshop. For more information and online registration, please call the Full Moon Resort, 845-254-8009,
or email: .
Deadline is May 19
Full Moon contact info:
Telephone: 845-254-8009
Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm (EST)
Daily Schedule (subject to improvisation)
Monday, June 9
Opening orientation in the main building, hosted by Karl Berger, Ingrid Sertso and other Guiding Artists
Introducing featured artists and any special guests
Brief review of daily workshops, activities, performances
Meet and Greet on Front Lawn with Open Bar and Hors D’Oeuvres
Opening night performance in the “Roadhouse” performance space
Late night jams among participants
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, June 10 -12
8:00 - 9:30
9:30 - 10:00
Body Awareness
10:15 - 11:00
Rhythm/Voice Awareness, including GaMaLa Taki rhythm practice
11:30 - 1:00
Master Class/Workshop
1:00 - 2:15
2:30 - 5:00
All Instruments Workshop
5:15 – 6:30
Improvisers Orchestra
6:30 - 7:00
Listening Meditation
7:00 - 8:15
8:30 - 10:00
Concert with Guiding Artists
Participant concerts and jams, unscheduled sessions
Friday, June 13
Group photo
Farewell and Departure
Guiding Artist Biographies
Joe Lovano, saxophone, composer
Grammy-winning saxophonist and composer Joe Lovano is fearless in finding new modes of artistic expression.
With 14 Nominations and a Grammy for his 52nd Street Themes, he has won Down Beat Magazine’s Critics and Readers Polls countless times as Tenor Saxophonist, Musician of the Year, Jazz Album of the Year and Triple Crowns from Downbeat and the Jazz Journalists Association in 2010.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 29, 1952 he attended the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston where years later he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate.
Since 2001 he has held the Gary Burton Chair in Jazz Performance and is a founding faculty member of the new Global Jazz Institute directed at Berklee by Danilo Perez.
He is a guest lecturer at New York University Jazz Program, Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music as well as Clinician at Universities around the globe.
He has toured with jazz greats such as Woody Herman Thundering Herd, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, Carla Bley Band, Elvin Jones Jazz Machine, Saxophone Summit and has created a body of work for his large ensembles including strings, woodwinds, voice as well as his Horn-rich Nonet and more recently his UsFive group with double drummers which has been gathering kudos world-wide!
Since 1991 Lovano has been recording as a leader for Blue Note Records and “Cross Culture” marks his 24th release with more to follow.
He has had an extraordinary relationship with Blue Note President and driving force Bruce Lundvall throughout the years for which he is grateful.
Joe has recorded with a long list of jazz greats including Woody Herman, Mel Lewis, Bob Brookmeyer, John Scofield, Paul Motian, Bill Frisell, Gunther Schuller, Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, Ed Blackwell, Dave Holland, Hank Jones, Dave Liebman, Michael Brecker, Ravi Coltrane and many others.
In addition, a Concerto for saxophone and chamber orchestra was written for him by Mark Anthony Turnage called “A Man Descending”.
Joe Lovano continues to explore new horizons within the world of music as a band leader and composer.
Look for a new recording with the great Tony Bennett due out this year!
Henry Threadgill, composer/reeds
Henry Threadgill (born February 15, 1944, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist,[1] who came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating a range of non-jazz genres. He studied at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago co-majoring in piano and flute, along with composition. He studied piano with Gail Quillman and composition with Stella Roberts. He has had a music career for over forty years as both a leader and as a composer.
Threadgill’s music has been performed by many of his long-lasting instrumental ensembles, including the trio Air with Fred Hopkins and Steve McCall, the seven-piece Sextet, Very Very Circus, the twenty-piece Society Situation Dance Band, X-75, Make a Move, Aggregation Orb, and his current group Zooid. He has recorded many critically acclaimed albums as a leader of these ensembles with various record labels namely Arista/Novus, About Time, Axiom, Black Saint, Columbia and Pi Recordings.
Threadgill has had numerous commissions and awards throughout. He has composed music for theatre, orchestra, solo instruments, and chamber ensembles. His works for large orchestras, such as "Run Silent, Run Deep, Run Loud, Run High" (conducted by Hale Smith) and "Mix for Orchestra" (conducted by Dennis Russell Davies), were both premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1987 and 1993 respectively. He has had commissions from Mordine & Company in 1971 and 1989, from Carnegie Hall for "Quintet for Strings and Woodwinds" in 1983 and 1985, the New York Shakespeare Festival in 1985, Bang on a Can All-Stars in 1995, "Peroxide" commissioned by the Miller Theatre Columbia University in 2003 for "Aggregation Orb", a commission from the Talujon Percussion Ensemble in 2008, a piece "Fly Fliegen Volar" commissioned and premiered at the Saalfelden Jazz Festival with the Junge Philharmonie Salzburg Orchestra in 2007, a premier of the piece "Mc Guffins" with Zooid at the Biennale Festival in Italy in 2004 to name some.
Threadgill, aside from being a remarkable alto saxophone player, is one of the most imaginative of jazz composers today. “He seems to be deliberately challenging the audience: My lyricism and mastery come complete with thorns and spikes, and I promise to yank the props out from under you,” quoted John Litweiler, longtime Down Beat jazz critic, in an article he wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times. Threadgill was one of the founding members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), a Chicago group that was free-form, you might say, in its philosophy and approach. Peter Watrous of the New York Times described Threadgill as “perhaps the most important jazz composer of his generation.” Recent concerts in Chicago have led the local critics to speak of him as a revolutionary figure, altering the manner in which jazz itself is going. Said Howard Reich, jazz critic of the Chicago Tribune, “It would be difficult to overestimate Henry Threagill’s role in perpetually altering the meaning of jazz..…He has changed our underlying assumptions of what jazz can and should be.” – An excerpt from a chapter on Henry Threadgill in And They All Sang (2005) by Pulitzer-winning author and disc jockey Studs Terkel, a book about “forty of the greatest and most deeply human musical figures of our time.” He recently composed an elegy for the late Butch Morris that premiered to critical acclaim. (Wikipedia)
Marilyn Crispell, composer/pianist
Marilyn Crispell is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music where she studied classical piano and composition, and has been a resident of Woodstock, New York since 1977 when she came to study and teach at the Creative Music Studio. She discovered jazz through the music of John Coltrane, Cecil Taylor and other contemporary jazz players and composers. For ten years she was a member of the Anthony Braxton Quartet and the Reggie Workman Ensemble and has been a member of the Barry Guy New Orchestra and guest with his London Jazz Composers Orchestra, as well as a member of the Henry Grimes Trio, Quartet Noir (with Urs Leimgruber, Fritz Hauser and Joelle Leandre), and Anders Jormin's Bortom Quintet. In 2005 she performed and recorded with the NOW Orchestra in Vancouver, Canada and in 2006 she was co-director of the Vancouver Creative Music Institute and a faculty member at the Banff Centre International Workshop in Jazz.
Besides working as a soloist and leader of her own groups, Crispell has performed and recorded extensively with well-known players on the American and international jazz scene. She's also performed and recorded music by contemporary composers Robert Cogan, Pozzi Escot, John Cage, Pauline Oliveros, Manfred Niehaus and Anthony Davis (including four performances of his opera "X" with the New York City Opera).
In addition to playing, she has taught improvisation workshops and given lecture/demonstrations at universities and art centers in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and has collaborated with videographers, filmmakers, dancers and poets. Crispell has been the recipient of three New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship grants (,
and ), a Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust composition commission (), and a Guggenheim Fellowship (). In 1996 she was given an Outstanding Alumni Award by the New England Conservatory, and in 2004, was cited as being one of their 100 most outstanding alumni of the past 100 years.
Karl Berger - PhD, Founder Creative Music Foundation, composer, vibraphonist, pianist
Founder and director of the nonprofit Creative Music Foundation, Inc., and creative leader of the legendary Creative Music Studio, Karl Berger is dedicated to the research of the power of music and sound and the elements common to all of the world's music forms. In addition to his composing and playing, Karl is known around the world for educational presentations through workshops, concerts, recordings, and with a growing network of artists and CMS members worldwide.
Karl Berger is a six time winner of the Downbeat Critics Poll as a jazz soloist, recipient of numerous Composition Awards (commissions by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, European Radio and Television: WDR, NDR, SWF, Radio France, Rai Italy. SWF-Prize 1994). Professor of Composition, Artist-in- Residence at universities, schools and festivals worldwide, PhD in Music Esthetics.
Karl Berger became noted for his innovative arrangements for recordings by Jeff Buckley ("Grace"), Natalie Merchant ("Ophelia"), Better Than Ezra, The Cardigans, Jonatha Brooke, Buckethead, Bootsie Collins, The Swans, Sly + Robbie, Angelique K and for his collaborations with producers Bill Laswell, Alan Douglas ("Operazone"), Peter Collins, Andy Wallace, Craig Street, Alain Mallet, Malcolm Burn, Bob Marlett and many others in Woodstock, New York City, Los Angeles, Tokyo, London, Paris and Rome.
He recorded and performed with Don Cherry, Lee Konitz, John McLaughlin, Gunther Schuller, the Mingus Epitaph Orchestra, Dave Brubeck, Ingrid Sertso, Dave Holland, Ed Blackwell, Ray Anderson, Carlos Ward, Pharoah Sanders, Blood Ulmer, Hozan Yamamoto and many others at festivals and concerts in the US, Canada, Europe, Africa, India, Phillippines, Japan, Mexico and Brazil.
His recordings and arrangements appear on the Atlantic, Axiom, Black Saint, Blue Note, Capitol, CBS, Columbia Double Moon, Douglas Music, Elektra, EMI, Enja, Island, JVC, Knitting Factory, In&Out, MCA, Milestone, Polygram, Pye, RCA, SONY, Stockholm, Vogue and others.
Ingrid Sertso
- voice, poet, co-founder, Creative Music Foundation
Through her work with such avant-jazz musicians as Don Cherry and Karl Berger, Ingrid Sertso established herself as a captivating, adventurous vocalist, capable of blending jazz, African, South American and other worldbeat influences into a distinctive, hypnotic sound.
Although Sertso didn't become well-known until the release of Dance with It in 1994, she spent over 20 years honing her art. During the late '60s, she lived in Europe, leading her own trios and performing with the likes of Eric Dolphy, Don Cherry, Steve Lacy, Karl Berger and Leo W she also worked as a music teacher at several institutions in Europe. In 1972, she became a permanent resident of the United States and she released her first album, We Are You, on Calig Records. Over the next few years she taught, while she performed in North America and Europe with the likes of Cherry, Ed Blackwell, Lee Konitz, Sam Rivers, Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Moses, Dave Holland, Perry Robinson and Jumma Santos. In 1974, she released Kalaparush on Trio Records in Japan. It was followed in 1975 by Peace Church Concerts on India Navigation/CMC Records.
In 1975, Sertso became a faculty member at the Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado. She stayed there through 1975 and 1976, before moving to the Banff Centre of Fine Arts in Calgary, Canada. She had two residencies at Banff before moving to the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock, New York, where she became the co-director. While working at the Creative Music Studio, she began singing in the Art of Improvisation with Berger and David Inzenon. In 1979, she toured major European cities as a solo artists, supported by the Woodstock Workshop Orchestra. She also released an album on MPS Records that year.
During the early '80s, Sertso remained a co-director at the Creative Music Studio, while continuing to record and perform with a variety of musicians, including such mainstays as Don Cherry and Karl Berger, as well as Paulo Moura, Nana Vasconcelos, Steve Gorn, Dan Brubeck and Mike Richmond. In 1984, she performed with the Music Universe Orchestra at the Kool Festival in New York and released a duet album, Changing the Time, with Berger on Horo Records in Italy. She also toured Europe twice during this time and she also toured West Africa with Olatunji and Aiyb Dieng.
Sertso's career picked up momentum during the latter half of the '90s. She held a series of concerts and workshops in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and she regularly tour the US on club and festival circuit. Sertso also toured Europe twice and sang solo vocals on Berger's orchestral ballet, The Bird. She was one of the co-leaders of Rhythm Changes, who released the Jazzdance album on ITM Records. During these five years, she also performed and recorded with a variety of artists, including Pauline Oliveros, Lee Konitz, Frank Luther, Anthony Cox, Leroy Jenkins, Jimmy Cobber, Linda Montano and Karl Berger.
In 1990, Sertso catapulted back into the mainstream jazz spotlight through her version "Until the Rain Comes" on Don Cherry's Multi Kulti album. Shortly afterward, she began working on a new album, but she became sidetracked by collaborating with Karl Berger and guitarist Paul Koji Shigihara. The trio blended original compositions with Sertso's poetry, improvisations and interpretations of traditional tune. Sertso also regularly performed poetry readings at the Tinker Street Cafe in Woodstock and the Knitting Factory in New York, and she also regularly played clubs along the Northeast coast. In 1994, she released her comeback album Dance with It, which earned postitive reviews. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Peter Apfelbaum – sax, drums, composition
Peter Apfelbaum (born 1960) is an American avant-garde jazz pianist, tenor saxophonist, drummer and composer born in Berkeley, California. He first emerged on the jazz scene in the late 1970s, performing with Carla Bley from
and touring with Warren Smith and Karl Berger. Around this time Apfelbaum also studied and worked with musicians involved with the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock, New York. He graduated from Berkeley High School in 1978 in a class that included jazz pianist Benny Green.
Apfelbaum has made an impact on the avant-garde jazz and world music scene since the late 1970s and 1980s. He is a well known multi-instrumentalist and composer. His three main instruments are tenor saxophone, piano, and drums, but he has recorded and performed with a diverse array of percussion, wind, and other instruments. He has composed suites for various artists (including Don Cherry) as well as his 17-piece group The Hieroglyphics Ensemble. In 1990 Apfelbaum toured and recorded with Cherry in the group Multikulti, playing both piano and saxophone.
In the early 1990s, Apfelbaum opened shows for The Grateful Dead with The Hieroglyphics Ensemble. Apfelbaum formed The Hieroglyphics Ensemble with jazz musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area, including Jeff Cressman, Will Bernard, Norbert Stachel, Jessica Jones, Tony Jones, Peck Almond, Dezon Claiborne, Josh Jones, Jai Uttal, and many others. In 1991 his album "Signs Of Life," recorded with The Hieroglyphics Ensemble, went to No. 14 on Billboard (magazine)'s "top contemporary jazz albums.[1]
The latest incarnation of this group, The New York Hieroglyphics, released "It Is Written" in 2005, featuring members from the original group and New York-based musicians such as Patrice Blanchard, Dafnis Prieto, Josh Roseman, and Abdoulaye Diabate as well as Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio, for whom Peter was music director. His compositions and performances have influenced many artists active in the contemporary jazz fusion scene. His work recombines and synthesizes varieties of world music (i.e. various non-Western diasporic musical traditions) with experimental jazz idioms.[2] Of how his music came into being, Apfelbaum writes: "My vocabulary reflects the fact that I started life as a drummer, was trained in jazz theory, blues and gospel music as a pre-teenager, became absorbed in African and Latin music as a teenager, listened to a lot of contemporary classical music, worked in R&B, reggae, blues, Latin, African, jazz, funk, Middle Eastern and Indian bands and, for as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by how sounds can be fitted together."
Warren Smith, percussion, drums, composer
Smith was born in Chicago, Illinois, i his father played saxophone and clarinet with Noble Sissle and Jimmy Noone, and his mother was a harpist and pianist. He studied clarinet under his father from age four. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1957, then took a master's in percussion at the Manhattan School of Music in 1958.
One of his earliest major recording dates was with Miles Davis as a vibraphonist in 1957. He found work in Broadway pit bands in 1958, and also played with Gil Evans that year. In 1961 he co-founded the Composers Workshop Ensemble, a New York-based jazz composition and performance ensemble. In the 1960s Smith accompanied Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Lloyd Price, and Nat King C he worked with Sam Rivers from 1964–76 and with Gil Evans again from 1968 to 1976. In 1969 he played with Janis Joplin and in 1971 with Tony Williams Lifetime. He was also a founding member of Max Roach's percussion ensemble, M'Boom, in 1970. In the 1970s and 1980s Smith had a loft called Studio Wis which acted as a performing and recording space for many young New York jazz musicians, such as Wadada Leo Smith and Oliver Lake. Through the 1970s Smith played with Andrew White, Julius Hemphill, Muhal Richard Abrams, Nancy Wilson, Quincy Jones, Count Basie, and Carmen McRae. Other credits include extensive work with rock and pop musicians and time spent with Anthony Braxton, Charles Mingus, Henry Threadgill, Van Morrison, and Joe Zawinul. He continued to work on Broadway into the 1990s, and has performed with a number of classical ensembles.
Smith taught in the New York City public school system from 1958 to 1968, at Third Street Settlement from 1960 to 1967, at Adelphi University in 1970-71, and at SUNY-Old Westbury from 1971.
Judi Silvano, vocalist, composer
Judi Silvano is a daring musician who moved from Philadelphia to NYC to be part of the Loft scene as an improvising dancer and singer. She was soon making waves with her horn-like vocal lines, improvisational skills and extended compositions to develop a reputation as a Creative Improvising Vocalist around the world.
Silvano has toured and recorded with jazz greats Kenny Werner, Joe Lovano, Jack DeJohnette, Charlie Haden, John Lindberg, Gerry Hemingway, George Garzone, Warren Smith, Ratzo B. Harris, Tim Hagans, Steve Swallow, Mal Waldron, Larry Goldings, Vic Juris and Bobby Few among others in the US and Europe.
Awarded 3 Grants from Meet the Composer and NY State Council on the Arts, Silvano was voted Top Ten Jazz Vocalist in Down Beat Reader’s Polls 4 times and has ten recordings as Leader. She expects 2 more recordings to be released this year of all her Original C a duo project with pianist/arranger Michael Abene and a Quintet featuring guitarist Kenny Wessel.
As a progressive composer and arranger, Silvano has written over 45 pieces for jazz and chamber music ensembles incorporating improvisation with written material. She also champions the work of American Women Composers, in her “Women’s Work” recording and her Chamber Music songs have been recognized by the industry by being chosen for New York Women Composers, Vox Musica and Ars Nova concerts.
In 2012 Silvano premiered four new poetry and music works at The Stone’s “Spoken Word Festival” with veteran improvisers Ratzo B. Harris and Warren Smith and two of her chamber pieces were featured in concert at NYC’s Symphony Space.
As an educator, Silvano leads International Vocal Master Classes called “Freeing the Voice” at major universities in addition to practicing her lifelong passion for gardening and painting.
Harvey Sorgen – drums, percussion
Harvey Sorgen’s vast and diverse career as a drummer/percussionist has given him a unique ability to fit in and play with artists of virtually every type of music. His orchestral concept on and off the instrument has distinguished Harvey as one of the truly unique drummers of our time. Expanding the boundaries of sound and color on the drum set, Harvey has had the opportunity to perform and record with a vast array of musicians, including: Hot Tuna, Ahmad Jamal, Michelle Shocked, Karl Berger, Paul Simon, Dewey Redman, Dave Douglas, David Sancious, Mark Feldman, Zakir Hussain, Giovanni Hidalgo, Leo Smith, Cameron Brown, Steve Swell, Anthony Braxton, Bruce Hornsby, Derek Trucks, Bill Frisell, Bob Weir, NRBQ, Phil Lesh, Greg Allman, Tony Levin, Jack DeJohnette, Garth Hudson and Jimmy Vivino, among many others.
Harvey has also written and performed pieces for film and the stage, including a solo percussion piece for the New Day Repertoire Theater’s version of “Antigone” and has conducted workshops throughout the world, from the University of Graz (Austria) and Jazz Initiative Marburg (Germany) to the University of Michigan and Virginia Commonwealth University. He is also an accomplished audio engineer and editor, having worked at the legendary Dreamland Recording Studio. Past projects include re-mastering of the entire ESP record label. Harvey's first instructional video " Drumming Made Easy " is currently available worldwide from Homespun Tapes Inc. / Hal Leonard publishing. Harvey Sorgen also appears on Jack DeJohnette's " Musical Expression On The Drum Set" and Jorma Kaukonen's " The Electric Guitar Of Jorma Kaukonen “ DVD’s also available from Homespun Tapes Inc.
Omar Tamez - guitarist/composer/multi-instrumentist
Omar studied composition with Nicandro Tamez, (composer and educator) as well as with with Andre Richard, Daniel Catan, Mario Lavista, Manuel de Elias, Helmut Lachmann, Pierre Boulez and Karlheinz Stockhausen. A visiting artist at CalArts, Omar is also the founder, producer and artistic director of the “International Musicians Meeting.” Mr. Tamez attended the NIMES (New Interfaces for Musical Expression) and Résonances Music Technology Convention at the IRCAM - Centre Pompidou, Paris, France. He teaches privately and at workshops around the world.
Mr. Tamez has performed in more than 137 countries including Mexico, United States, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Turkey, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Japan and extensively trough Middle East, Asia & Africa. He has played/recorded with Ramón López, Agustí Fernández, Gebhard Ullmann, Karl Berger, Conny Bauer, Gunter S?mmer, Felix Petry, Gabriele Hasler, Carl Ludwig Hübsch, Almut Kuhne, Frank K?llges, Andreas Willers, Reggie Workman, Rashied Ali, Sonny Fortune, Andrew Cyrille, Sam Rivers, Geroge Schuller, Ratzo B. Harris, Steve Baczkowski, Alex Coke, Joe Fonda, Harvey Sorgen, Herb Robertson, Steve Rust, Steve Swell, Lou Grassi, Tina Marsh, André Jaume, Be?at Achiary, Sophia Domancich, Rémi Charmasson, Teppo Ahuta – ahoo, Harri Sj?strom, Kalle Kalima, Mikko-Ville Luolajan-Mikkola, Tony Oxley, Derek Bailey, Marco Colonna, Enrico Rava, Neil Swainson, Emilio Tamez, Rémi ?lvarez, Hernán Ríos, Gustavo Lorenzatti, Satoshi Takeishi, Tatsuya Nakatani and Arjen Gorter among many others.
He recently participated in Wadada Leo Smith’s Golden Quartet/Double Quartet in Buffalo, NY, with Angelica Sánchez, John Lindberg and Pheeroan AkLaff.
Ken Filiano
Bass player, composer, improviser, Ken FIliano has been performing throughout the world for thirty years, collaborating with leading artists in multiple genres, fusing the rich traditions of the double bass with his own seemingly limitless inventiveness. Ken leads two quartets, Quantum Entanglements, and Baudalino's Dilemma (Vinny Golia, Warren Smith, Michael TA Thompson), and is a co-leader of The Steve Adams/Ken Filiano Duo and TranceFormation (Connie Crothers, Andrea Wolper.) His extensive discography includes a solo bass CD, “subvenire” (NineWinds), and “Dreams From a Clown Car" (Clean Feed), which presents his compositions for his quartet, Quantum Entanglements (Michael Attias, Tony Malaby, Michael TA Thompson). Ken has performed and/or recorded with Karl Berger, Bobby Bradford, Anthony Braxton, Connie Crothers Quartet, Bill Dixon, Ted Dunbar, Giora Feidman Quartet, Vinny Golia ensembles, Taylor Ho Bynum, Jason Kao Hwang, Joseph Jarman, Raul Juanena, Joelle Leandre, Frank London, Tina Marsh, Warne Marsh, Dom Minasi, Barre Phillips, Roswell Rudd, ROVA Saxophone Qt., Paul Smoker, Fay Victor Ensemble, Pablo Zielger, and many more. Ken is on the teaching roster at the New School in New York, and is a guest artist lecturer at School of Visual Arts and Hunter College (New York). He teaches master classes in bass and improvisation, and has a private bass studio in Brooklyn.
John Menegon - Bassist / Bandleader / Composer / Arranger / Educator
A resident of Upstate New York, Menegon started his career as a jazz bassist in Montreal. After having worked for several years on the Canadian jazz scene, he then went on to hone his skills in NYC in the mid-80s. Since moving to New York City to study Jazz at Long Island University on a full scholarship, John has performed/recorded with Dewey Redman, David “Fathead” Newman, Matt Wilson, Frank Kimbrough, John Hicks, Yoron Israel, Jack DeJohnette, Kenny Burrell, Kenny Barron, Paul Bley, Anthony Braxton's Tri-Centric Orchestra, Sheila Jordan, Joe Lovano, and many others. John was an integral member of the Dewey Redman Quartet, as well as the David “Fathead” Newman Quintet, and spent well over a decade performing, touring, and recording with them.
About Full Moon Resort
, located one half hour west of Woodstock, New York, “the most famous small town in the world,” is a year-round mountain resort located in the heart of the "Forever Wild" Catskill Forest Preserve.
Dedicated to the celebration of nature, music and the arts, this one hundred-acre wonderland of mountains, fields, and streams is a world of its own.
Full Moon is an alternative to more traditional country inns and resorts - with , , cutting-edge music camps, and art exhibits all part of its magical landscape.
"Music and art in nature" is a central theme at Full Moon Resort. Music is always in the air with the Music Masters Camp series, a special mid-week interactive musical experience with world renowned artists - complete with superb dining, comfortable country inn accommodations, and camping options.
Lovingly prepared, fresh, healthy cuisine served by a friendly, professional staff is the trademark of Full Moon Catering.
The menus offer a full range of possibilities – hot buffet breakfasts and lunches, down-home country barbeques …tantalizing hors d’oeuvres and formal gourmet dinners in the Tent Pavilion.
Fresh, natural ingredients (often organic) are the common thread throughout.
Accommodations are charming in their simplicity, with guest rooms available in a variety of lodges
– some in a simple B&B style with shared hallway baths and others with private bath options.
In all, Full Moon Resort, with its picturesque grounds, cozy guest accommodations, excellent cuisine and friendly, professional staff, sets the stage for highly memorable experiences for those attending the Music Masters Camps.
Full Moon contact info:
Telephone: 845-254-8009
Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm (EST)
When will my deposit be run?Your deposit will be run at the time of your registration.
What gear do I need?Bring your instrument(s) if they fit! Amps are not required. For more information, email to see what will be provided.
Can I still come if I'm not a musician? Non-musicians are more than welcome and encouraged to attend.
What skill level is required to attend?Classes and curriculum are developed to accommodate all ranges of playing. All classes are optional and open to everyone.
Is there an age requirement?No. Minors are required to submit a parent/legal guardian consent form.
Are meals included?Three gourmet meals a day and snacks are included in your tuition.
If I want to bring my spouse, but they don't want to attend classes, can I?Yes. In order to bring a non-participant, you would need to purchase a "single occupancy" package. Non-participants have access to all meals, but no classes or workshops. Additional fees apply.
When is check in and check out?Check in is at 3pm on arrival day and check out is at 11am on departure day. Due to Full Moon's busy event calendar, it is generally not possible to check in early or check out late.
How do I get there?Please see the
section below.
Is there cell phone reception at camp?There is no cell phone reception at Full Moon Resort.
Complimentary phone service for all calls within the U.S. is available at all times at the Inn. Also, there is complimentary Wi-Fi available throughout the facility.
How do I make my final payment?Your final payment will be automatically run on the credit card on file on the due date noted in your registration form. You may provide an alternative method of payment as long as it is received before the due date.
Can I take photos, video or audio recordings? Yes. You may be required to sign a waiver stating all recordings, footage and/or photos will be used strictly for personal use and not commercially.
What is the weather like at camp?Weather in the Catskills varies. In the spring, you can expect warm days (low 60s to upper 70s) and cooler nights (lower 40s to lower 60s).
Click here for updated weather information.
What do you suggest I bring with me?Audio recording devicesCameraClothes & Toiletries (toothbrush, soap, shampoo etc...)Tent Campers- don't forget towels, sleeping bags, tarps, etc.!Insect RepellentSwimwearFlashlightWriting Utensils & Note PaperWater bottleCash for evening bars (There is no ATM on-site.)
Do you provide equipment storage for tent campers?This can be arranged on an as needed basis.
Can I select my own roommate?Yes - if that person is signed up as well. We cannot hold a spot for someone unless they have already registered.
How does the facility select my roommate?Full Moon Resort selects roommates based on age and gender. You will always be placed with a same-sex roommate.
Pricing and Registration
Camp Packages are All-Inclusive!
Monday to Friday you will have access to all workshops, seminars, gourmet meals, performances, and camp activities. The only thing you have to do after signing up is get here!
All camp activities will be held at Full Moon Resort. Full Moon features an eclectic array of comfortable, rustic country-inn accommodations including simple B&B style guest rooms with shared hallway baths and guest rooms with private baths. “Primitive” campsites are also available. All accommodations are just steps away from daily music camp activities. The grounds offer one hundred acres of meadows, forests and streams providing a natural backdrop for an unforgettable, enriching experience.
Guest rooms at Full Moon do not have telephones, TV’s, air conditioning or daily housekeeping service. Wi-Fi, cable television and complimentary phone service are all available at the Inn (please bring a phone card for international calls).
Enjoy the spring-fed swimming pool, on-site access to the Esopus Creek, and explore the splendors of the Catskills on the nearby network of hiking trails.
Please Note: There is no cell phone reception at Full Moon Resort or in Big Indian.
Package Pricing?
Note: Prices do not include applicable taxes
Full Moon Resort Accommodations:
Note: Prices include Full Moon Resort lodging, food and CMS workshops. Prices do not include applicable taxes.
$695 Tent Camping
$895 Double Occupancy, Shared Bath
$995 Double Occupancy, Private Bath
$1,295 Single Occupancy, Shared Bath
$1,595 Single Occupancy, Private Bath
$495 Non-participant rates for spouse/children
Registration, Payment and Cancellation Terms and Conditions:
Your decision to register for Full Moon Resort Music Masters Camps constitutes your acknowledgement of and consent to all of the registration, payment and cancellation terms and conditions listed below.
Registration and Payments:
All rates are per-person
All rates are subject to a 2% county tax, 8% New York State Tax and a 1.5% online registration fee
Upon registration, a non-refundable deposit of $350 is charged to your credit card
100% of the remaining balance due is automatically charged to the credit card on file on May 19, 2013
Any registrations received after May 19, 2013, must be paid in full at the time of registration
Cancellation:
All payments and deposits are non-refundable, except when approved by the Creative Music Foundation.
Cancellations received before May 19, 2013 will not be charged the remaining balance
Cancellations received after
May 19, 2013 will be charged the full remaining balance
Due to the nature of our events and strict cancellation policies, Creative Environments, LLC DBA Full Moon Resort strongly suggests purchasing travel insurance.
Full Moon contact info:
Telephone: 845-254-8009
Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm (EST)
Directions/Transportation
All Music Masters Camps are held in Big Indian, New York which is centrally located in the heart of the “Forever Wild” Catskill forest preserve.
Full Moon Resort1 Valley View RoadBig Indian, NY 12410Directions to Full Moon Resort
By Car:Car parking is complimentary to all participants.
From Albany and points North:Take the New York State Thruway (I-87) South towards New York CityTake Exit 19, Kingston (see below)
From New York City and Points South:Take the New York State Thruway (I-87) North/West to Exit 19, KingstonAfter toll, merge slightly right onto Route 28 West (towards Pine Hill)Travel approximately 30 miles on Route 28 West to Big Indian/OlivereaTurn left onto County Route 47 (just after a brown sign on Route 28 which says Oliverea 3 miles)Proceed 5 miles on County Route 47 (Oliverea Road)You will see signs for Full Moon on the right-hand side.
By Plane:The closest airports to Big Indian are one hour and thirty minutes away:Albany International Airport and Stewart/Newburgh International Airport
Albany International Airport (ALB):737 Albany Shaker RdAlbany, NY 12211Phone: (518) 242.2222/
Stewart-Newburgh International Airport (SWF):1180 1st StreetNew Windsor, NY 12553Phone: (845) 564-2100http://www.panynj.gov/airports/stewart.html
JFK and LaGuardia Airports in New York City are approximately two and a half hours from Big Indian.Airport Car Services:Woodstock Town Car Service: (845) 679-6656Black Diamond Transportation: (845) 338-8426
By Bus:Adirondack Trailways buses run from NYC and Kingston, NY. There is a stop on Route 28 at the Big Indian post office just five miles from Full Moon Resort. Email us to arrange a pick up from the Big Indian bus stop to Full Moon Resort.
NYC buses depart from the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan at 9.30am, 12.30pm and 3.30pm (EST) daily and take approximately three hours to reach Big Indian. One way fare is approximately $35, return is approximately $70.For additional schedule information and bus stop locations, visit
or call 1-800-776-7548
Big Indian Bus Stop Located At the Big Indian Post Office:8279 State Route 28Big Indian, NY 12410*Email
to let us know when you will be arriving and we will be sure to have a shuttle waiting to bring you to camp!
By Train:The closest train station is in Rhinecliff, NY which is approximately one hour away from Big Indian.
Rhinecliff Amtrak Station (RHI)Hutton St. and Charles St.,Rhinecliff, NY 12574Phone: 1 (800) 872-7245Station and Service Hours: Open 7 Days a Week: 5:30am-10:30pm
**Carpooling is suggested!()
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